A Guide for Reluctant dtc brands
After working with hundreds of brands over the years, we've noticed that even highly successful DtC brands are often suspicious of Amazon, viewing it a necessary evil rather than an opportunity. And the platform can seem opaque, crowded, and difficult to navigate. But Amazon still offers some unique advantages that make it as compelling as ever as a sales channel.
First, there's the sheer scale of Amazon's customer base. We've seen niche products that struggled to find their audience on standalone websites flourish on Amazon. Why? Because Amazon has become the default product search engine for most Americans. Especially since the pandemic, and especially with niche products, when customers are ready to buy, they skip Google entirely and go straight to Amazon. The unfortunate truth is that if you're not on Amazon, you're invisible to millions of ready-to-buy customers.
The second major advantage is Amazon's in-house fulfillment network, called Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA). While many brands start out handling their own shipping, we often see them switch over entirely to FBA once they understand its power. FBA doesn't just handle warehouse management and shipping - it gives you access to the most sophisticated logistics network ever created, one that Amazon spends tens of billions of dollars per year to build and maintain. The result is that operational complexity that once required whole teams to manage can now be handled with a few clicks.
Another unique advantage of selling on Amazon is the relatively easy access it offers to international markets. We've seen small brands successfully expand into Canada, Europe, and other regions without local teams or foreign distribution networks. Through the Global Selling program, you can list your products on multiple international marketplaces, while FBA handles the complex logistics of cross-border fulfillment. What once required years of planning and a large upfront investment of time and money can now be accomplished in a matter of months.
Finally, there's the Prime factor. For many customers, the Prime badge doesn't sweeten the pot but is rather a requirement for sale. Customers have come to expect two-day delivery, and they'll often dismiss out of hand listings that don't have it. We've seen this reflected dramatically in the data: when products gain Prime status, they don't just see better conversion rates, they become visible to an entire segment of customers who simply won't consider non-Prime items. For many, no Prime means no sale.
These four factors have created a unique ecosystem that hasn't really been replicated on any other platform. While the platform may seem daunting at first approach, we've seen many brands successfully expand their business by embracing it. The key is approaching Amazon strategically, with a clear understanding of both its challenges and its advantages. Your customers are already on Amazon, and the data suggests you should be there too.